I work with interior designers every day in our interior design consulting business, Pearl Collective, and when the topic of social media comes up, designers are either nailing it or they hate it. Entrepreneurship has its rewards and its challenges, and the happiest, most successful business owners I know have grit and give themselves the gift of grace. So, whether you are nailing it or hating it when it comes to social media, here are some easy ways to channel grace in your efforts.
1. Metrics
What gets measured gets improved. I’ve found as a working mother, I just never seem to have enough time in the day to run my family, business and life (let alone occasionally get something good to eat). So, the first step in making that easier is to give myself a little grace and know at the end of the day I have done my best.
The next step is to identify simple metrics to measure all aspects of your business and marketing, which allowed me to step away and still drive success. I know metrics sounds fancy and corporate, but if you don’t have metrics, you are guessing. You must be able to see what’s working, what’s not working, and if you are on track or off track in achieving your goals. Just like I check my kids’ report cards every month, do the same with your marketing.
2. Plan
Avoid overwhelm & create a system for consistency. It is easy to get overwhelmed in your design business, especially with social media. If you’re like me, your calendar is full of commitments and deadlines, and fitting in the time to market your business every single day is a challenge. Blocking dedicated time each week to review metrics, check-in with your team, plan and execute is essential.
One of the foundational pieces in any marketing plan is knowing who you serve and the ideal client that you want to attract. What are their demographics? What are their aspirations? Where do they congregate? This will help you to decide what social media platforms and content you will use.
Next, look at your competition (and promise not to get stuck in the comparison game — but can you learn from them?) What social platforms are they using? What are they posting? How are they showing their culture, values and design perspective to their audience? Now that you have this information in your toolkit, you are ready to start planning. Create a marketing plan showing each month, the days of the week, holidays and the planned posts. I like to plan in 90-day sprints. This keeps my team focused, results driven and gives me piece of mind.
Determine what types of content you will post and simplify by creating templates for each type. Aside from showing your one-of-kind interiors and designs, how do you plan to educate your ideal client about what makes you different and why they should work with you? How are you showing your personality, culture and values? Make a list of your ideas and dedicate a day each week for each type of post.
3. Shift your Mindset
Many designers feel like an imposter when it comes to social media. You might be thinking…why would anyone want to pay attention to me? Or when I post, I don’t get any engagement with my audience.
Shift your mindset around marketing and remember you are the CEO of your business (AKA rainmaker). Commit to the plan and have fun with it! Make trying new posts and content that you share interesting, creative and unique.
Social media can be daunting, but with the right mindset, commitment to market your business, an executable plan and metrics to track what’s working, you are on a path that will lead to filling your pipeline. And with a little grace along the way, you will come out smiling.
The 2023 Interior Design Business Survey is live and we want to hear from YOU!
The focus this year is fees, salaries and the current state of the industry.
Take the Survey at thepearlcollective.com/survey-fldecor.
Erin is the Co-Founder of Pearl Collective, an interior design business consultancy formerly known as Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting. Erin is a member of the Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Leadership Institute and was named in 2022 Home Furnishings Business 40 under 40 and was nominated for the WITHIT WOW Future Leader Award. Erin’s passion for elevating interior design to its appropriate strata in our industry is evidenced through her devotion to educating designers on innovative, profitable business practices, leadership, technology and productivity. She teaches clients to move from business timidity to confidence through actionable processes, smart structure and a team-first mentality.
